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Friday, December 21, 2018

For Immediate Release: Eric Powell’s Albatross Funnybooks Announces GRUMBLE VS THE GOON —The First Ever Free Comic Book Day Title from Albatross

For Immediate Release:

Eric Powell’s Albatross Funnybooks Announces GRUMBLE VS THE GOON

—The First Ever Free Comic Book Day Title from Albatross—

and Unveils the Covers for THE GOON #1

December 20, 2018) Award-winning cartoonist Eric Powell’s Albatross Funnybooks will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Goon with its first ever Free Comic Book Day title in 2019. GRUMBLE VS THE GOON is a side-splitting, full color one shot co-written by Powell and Rafer Roberts and illustrated by Powell and BATTLE BUG creator Mike Norton. Here, for the first time ever, The Goon and his pal Franky will meet Tala and Eddie, from the pages of GRUMBLE, in an interdimensional adventure, chock full of death, mayhem... and dog catching.

“We really wanted to do something special for Free Comic Day.” said THE GOON creator Eric Powell. “ A gift to comic readers that would celebrate 20 years of the Goon and show off what Albatross Funnybooks is all about. Creative freedom and fun comics. I’m thrilled to collaborate with Mike and Rafer on this project and have Grumble alongside the Goon representing the company.”

"I've been a huge fan of THE GOON for years, so this is still very surreal to me," said GRUMBLE co-creator and writer Rafer Roberts. "Working with Eric was an honor and a pleasure, and watching him and Mike jam on the artwork is a real thrill. I think we're creating something incredibly special that will satisfy GOON and GRUMBLE fans as well as entertain new readers. Honestly, I can't believe that we're giving this away for free!"

“I’ve known Eric since before THE GOON existed. To be publishing GRUMBLE and doing a crossover with him is just an honor. It’s seriously some of the most fun I’ve had making comics!” said GRUMBLE co-creator and artist Mike Norton.

“Hey, GRUMBLE VS THE GOON is a Silver-tier Free Comic Book Day book,” said Powell. “We’re not charging fans for the comic because it’s a wonderful way for even more readers to discover the great stories Mike and Rafer are telling in the pages of GRUMBLE. Plus, it’s always fun for readers to visit Lonely Street, home of Franky and the Goon.”

In GRUMBLE VS THE GOON, Tala and Eddie think it might be a good idea to go dimension hopping when they find death incarnate hot on their heels. Unfortunately, things go from bad to worse when they land in the world of THE GOON. And Franky, the newly appointed dog catcher, don’t like talkin’ mutts that give him the sass! GRUMBLE VS THE GOON features a cover by Powell, and will be available at participating comic book stores on Free Comic Book Day, Saturday May 4th, 2019.

The publication of GRUMBLE VS THE GOON is part of a year long celebration of The Goon’s 20th anniversary. The anniversary festivities kick off in earnest on March 13th, 2019, when Albatross Funnybooks will publish THE GOON issue 1, featuring all new stories. THE GOON #1 Standard Edition features an Eric Powell cover and will retail for $3.99. THE GOON #1 Special Edition features a cover by legendary artist Kevin Nowlan and will retail for $5.99. In the character’s debut with Albatross Funnybooks, Powell takes the series to its humor based roots as Goon & Franky return from strange adventures abroad to find a horde of unsavory characters who have filled the void left in their absence from Lonely Street. For this new run of stories, Powell will be joined on Albatross Funnybooks’ THE GOON by several acclaimed creators.

For more updates on Albatross Funnybooks and the GOON’s 20th Anniversary, follow the company onTwitter, Facebook, Instagram.

About Albatross Exploding Funnybooks: Launched in 2002, Albatross Exploding Funnybooks has always been a labor of love for award-winning, Nashville-based cartoonist Eric Powell. The label began as a means to publish Powell’s creator-owned series THE GOON, which mainstream publishers had deemed “too different.” Although THE GOON later found a home and wider audience with Dark Horse Comics, Powell continued to publish, celebrate, and cultivate creator-owned titles through Albatross Exploding Funnybooks, including his all-ages comic CHIMICHANGA and Rebecca Sugar’s PUG DAVIS. In 2016, Powell rededicated himself in earnest to his publishing company, launching his new fantasy series HILLBILLY and other works such as the all-ages horror anthology SPOOK HOUSE, Fabian Rangel Jr. and Logan Faerber's weird war tale ’NAMWOLF and Brendon Small's GALAKTKON.

Eric Powell is a writer and artist who has contributed work on such comics titles as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Hellboy: Weird Tales, Star Wars: Tales, The Incredible Hulk, Black Panther, The Avengers, The Hood, MAD magazine, Devil Dinosaur, Swamp Thing, She-Hulk, The Simpsons, Arkham Asylum: Living Hell, Action Comics, and Creepy.

Although he had been eking out a meager living in the comics field since 1995, Eric didn't find true success until he launched his critically acclaimed dark comedy series The Goon. The Goon was subsequently picked up by Dark Horse Comics and boasts a die-hard cult following.

“A true American original—a delirious medley of strange characters, stranger creatures, wild-ass (and often truly creepy) storytelling, art so excellent and perfectly matched to the tone of his stories as to be flabbergasting, and writing so hilarious that it sometimes comes close to making me pee my pants.”—Frank Darabont, director

“Eric Powell’s great series The Goon deftly combines lowbrow humor with unexpected emotional depth in its ongoing story of a big, not-so-dumb guy who does battle with zombies in a town seemingly dreamt up by Tom Waits.”—The A.V. Club

“Eric Powell has created a sharp, witty little monster comic with a very interesting mystery at its heart. And Eric can draw as well as anyone in the business. When zombies are overrunning the city, there’s only one man tough enough to keep the undead in line: Eric Powell’s THE GOON.”—Jeff Smith (creator of Bone)

“Every panel [is] gorgeously detailed, like a Max Fleischer cartoon if Cthulhu spat some sort of hellish bile all over it.”—IGN

“There’s a certain joy knowing that a cartoonist of great skill is filling his or her own comic with the elements they love . . . The appeal is how Powell conveys that enthusiasm by drawing every creature and monster so darned well.”—Publishers Weekly

“If this is your first time [reading The Goon], you are in for a treat—if not, you already know how lucky you are.”—David Fincher, director